The Drug Enforcement Administration is alerting the public of dangerous counterfeit pills manufactured by Mexican drug cartels that are killing Americans.
Cartels are manufacturing mass quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid that is lethal in minute doses, for distribution throughout North America.
“Illicit fentanyl distribution has made drug use more life threatening than ever in the Pacific Northwest,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Weis. “Alarmingly, this year we have seized more than 16 kilograms of fentanyl, which equates to more than 8 million dosage units.”
Based on a sampling of tablets seized nationwide between January and March 2019, DEA found that 27 percent contained potentially lethal doses of fentanyl.
“Capitalizing on the opioid epidemic and prescription drug abuse in the United States, drug trafficking organizations are now sending counterfeit pills made with fentanyl in bulk to the United States for distribution,” said DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon. “Counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl and fentanyl-laced heroin are responsible for thousands of opioid-related deaths in the United States each year.”
Fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids remain the primary driver behind the ongoing opioid crisis, with fentanyl involved in more deaths than any other illicit drug.
A lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams, but can vary based on an individual’s body size, tolerance, amount of previous usage and other factors.
Kris Cabal, Cameron Trowbridge, Bryce Storms and Ava Zalewski represented Taft High 7-12 Sunday in the 3,000-meter Super Champs category of the PDXC State Middle School Championship at Western Oregon University Ash Creek Preserve in Monmouth.
Taft High’s quest for a spot in the Class 3A/2A/1A OSAA State Girls Soccer Championships fell just short Saturday in a 2-0 league playoff defeat to Dayton at Salem Academy, but senior striker Sammy Halferty waltzed off with Special District 2 Player of the Year honors.
The Tigers, who earned the league’s Sportsmanship Award for the second straight season, surrendered goals in the first and second half despite a strong initial showing against the Pirates.
“Taft outplayed their opponents in the first half,” Tigers coach Joey Arce-Torres said. “We had many opportunities, but could not get the goal. We had double-digit shots on goal. Dayton shot one and got one. It was impressive play all around.”
Taft was unable to get an equalizer in a second half that produced similar results, Arce-Torres said.
“Then, Dayton got a second goal that sealed the deal,” he said.
Taft’s Avery Nightingale earned second-team all-District honors, while Chloe Peterson, Delayna O’Daniels and Corey Van Damme were honorable mention.
Coach of the Year Ryan Ulicni’s undefeated Taft High boys soccer team secured a home game in next week’s State playoffs by defeating Delphian 3-0 Saturday for the Class 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 championship at Salem Academy.
“Knowing Delphian is always a great matchup for us, we went in with the confidence we can get it done,” said Ulicni, whose fourth-seeded Tigers will play 13th-seeded Central Linn (8-3-4 overall, 6-2-4 Special District 3) Wednesday at Voris Field at a time to be determined. “We expected an all-out battle and it was.”
Junior William Calderon, a first-team all-league selection, sandwiched goals around a score by senior SD2 Player of the Year Edson Fuentes to improve the Tigers to 15-0 on the season and the team’s scoring advantage to 104-8.
Jose Flores joined Fuentes and Calderon on the league’s first team, while Alex Del Valle, Estib Hernandez and Sam Cortes were second-team selections. Ivan Cortez, Mauricio Rivas and Ethan Thomas were honorable mention.
“There was some fantastic end-to-end play,” Ulicni said. “It seemed the longer the game was a draw, the stronger we became, which is a great attitude to see with our team. Last year, it brought frustration.”
Calderon broke the stalemate with the game’s first goal on a penalty kick in the first half.
“Going into the second half, Delphian threw it all at us and we kept it to our game,” Ulicni said. “Eventually, Edson got himself a goal with his individual skill beating the last defender. William was able to grab one more by not quitting and cleaning up around the box.”
Cortes, Taft’s sophomore goalie, kept Delphian off the scoreboard for the Tigers’ ninth shutout in 15 games this season.
“Our defense was in much better communication and worked so well against their rotating front line,” Ulicni said. “We are all very much looking forward to beginning our route to State. Knowing we will be hosting the first game is a great confidence boost.”
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This article was published simultaneously on our sister site Lincoln City Church News. The not yet launched website will feature stories and events for the Lincoln City church community.
St. Peter The Fisherman Lutheran Church is hosting its yearly two-day Christmas Bazaar Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday Nov. 2, featuring a dazzling display of quilts, aprons, reusable bags and other hand crafted items for sale to the public.
The hand crafted sale starts both days at 10 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m.
St. Peter’s Christmas Bazaar has been “going strong” since the 1980s, Church Secretary Ladonna Love said. Bazaar proceeds go towards mission projects for the church.
Mission Projects include:
My Sister’s Place
North Lincoln Hospice
Lincoln County Food Pantry
Neighbors for Kids
Vacation Bible School
Crisis Fund
Seminary Students
Bethesda Homes
Lutheran World Relief
What started out as a small sale in a tiny wooden church, has grown into a two-day event complete with a bake sale, raffle drawing and homemade pie.
The bazaar has drawn people to Lincoln City from the valley in past years, says Church Secretary Joan Roening.
“Folks come from the valley,” she said. “It hasn’t happened for a couple years, but for several years The Grand Ronde Tribe brought a bus, and 40 people all of a sudden are in here eating lunch.”
Oregon House Rep. David Gomberg attended the event and could be seen perusing hand crafted Oregon State Beaver items.
Bazaar-goers said they enjoy the atmosphere and low prices with more than a few stating they “come for the pie.”
On the second floor of the church’s activity building, two rooms are where most of the church sewing force makes the large colorful quilts and trains new quilters.
Karen Andersen has recently taken up the mantle of learning how to sew the intricate quilts. As one of the church’s younger members she is being mentored by longtime quilt-maker and expert seamstress Florence Roberts.
Karen Andersen, left, and Florence Roberts
The low prices on virtually every item, including the quilts, are set that way for a purpose.
“We aren’t here to get rich,” Love said. “We just want to sell.”
“The object is to raise money for our mission projects,” Roening said.
When asked about what happens to quilts that don’t sell, the secretaries said they would be donated to kids in need through Family Promise and other organizations.
St. Peter The Fisherman Lutheran Church is located at 1226 SW 13th Street in Lincoln City.
Seniors Matias Vesma and Lucas Hindman placed fifth and sixth, respectively, Thursday at Cheadle Lake Park in Lebanon to lead the Taft High boys cross country team into next week’s State finals as Class 3A Special District 2 champions.
Senior Autumn Ellis placed fifth in 21:06.70 to qualify individually for State and pace the Taft High girls to 10th place behind champion Central Linn.
Matias, a Finnish foreign exchange student, ran 18:10.90 and Hindman 18:19.10 to spook the field on Halloween behind winner Benjamin Bourne, a freshman from Santiam Christian who finished in 17:26.60.
Taft won the boys title 43-51 over Santiam Christian in preparation for next week’s OSAA State Cross Country Championships at Lane Community College in Eugene, which are scheduled to begin Saturday, Nov. 9, at 10 a.m. for the women and 11:10 a.m. for the men.
“The varsity boys team taking the District title and proceeding to State is a huge achievement considering at the beginning of the season we did not even have enough athletes to make a team,” said Taft coach Eva Ahumada, who was named Coach of the Year.
Junior Rafael Perez Del Valle was 13th, sophomore Brayan Mateo was 15th, senior Hunter Lunstedt was 19th and freshman Cooper Fitch was 27th for the Taft boys.
Sophomore Jordan White of Neah-Kah-Nie ran 19:23.70 to win the girls 5,000-meter crown.
Senior Brooke Orendorff placed 38th, with junior Claira Tolan, sophomore Kaydince Beach and senior Alani Cabal also contributing for the Taft girls.
“The athletes ran their hardest and gave it their all,” Ahmadad said. “I could not be more proud of this team and the gains they have made this season.”
The following is from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and has been edited by Homepage staff:
Bullies are nothing new, but internet accessibility has given rise to another type of bully.
The Cyberbully.
Cyberbullies use email, instant messages, blogs, chat rooms, and social networking to harass their victims.
Cyberbullies utilize the internet for the following:
Sending insulting messages
Spreading rumors
Posting embarrassing photos
Posing as someone else
Sharing secrets online
Threatening victims and making them live in fear
Excluding victims from an online group
Who is affected by cyberbullying?
Middle school and high school aged youth are most likely to be affected. Your child may be a victim and not tell you.
Why do kids cyberbully?
Children become cyberbullies for the same reasons they bully in person. It makes them feel important. But unlike bullies, cyberbullies can hide behind anonymity on the internet and be just as mean to others.
What are the dangers of cyberbullying?
Victims of cyberbullying can get so upset or depressed that they attempt suicide or hurt others. While bullies my threaten children at school, cyberbullies “invade” your home so there’s no escape from them. Hurtful messages or pictures can be emailed, posted online or forwarded via text, making bullying widespread and long lasting.
What are some warning signs a child is being cyberbullied?
Warning signs may include: unexplained anxiety, anger, sadness, or fear — especially after using the computer of cell phone — falling grades, lack of interest in friends, school or other activities, trouble sleeping and an increase or decrease in computer or cell phone use.
What can parents and guardians do?
Talk to your children. Tell them to let you know if anyone is being a cyberbully. If someone is, have your child save all communications from that person.
If you fear your child is in danger, report incidents to the internet service provider or cell phone carrier, your child’s school and police.
Find out how to block the cyberbully’s email address or phone number or change your child’s online information.
Note that filtering software cannot prevent cyberbullying.
What can your children do?
If one of your children receives a hurtful message, he or she needs to tell you about it, but not send a message back. Responding negatively to the cyberbully, or forwarding the hurtful message to others can make your child a cyberbully as well.
Avoid websites where cyberbullying occurs.
To keep others from being hurt, your children should report any instances of someone they know being cyberbullied.
Lincoln City Police will be changing hours of operation for certain services starting Nov. 1 in an effort to streamline records and administration ahead of moving into the new police building currently under construction.
The following services will only be available 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday:
Records/report requests
Property/evidence returns
Impound releases
Sex offender registration
The police department lobby will still be open 24 hours a day, allowing citizens to report criminal activity, speak with officers and deposit expired medications in the drop box.
Dispatch and patrol functions will continue to operate 24 hours a day and the department’s non-emergency phone number, 541-994-3636, will be answered 24 hours a day.
Fresh off a tune-up run in the Taft Two-Mile Trial, the Tigers’ cross country team will compete Thursday in the 3A/2A/1A Special District 2 Championships at Cheadle Lake Park in Lebanon.
The Class 3A Tigers competed Wednesday, Oct. 23, in a dual meet against Toledo.
Senior Lucas Hindman won the boys race, while junior teammate Rafael Perez Del Valle was second and sophomore Brayan Mateo third.
Senior Autumn Ellis won the girls race for Taft, with Brooke Orendorff second, sophomore Kaydince Beach fourth and senior Alani Cabal fifth.
s the World Series winds down in Houston, Taylor Adams stands in the on-deck circle a thousand miles away on Florida’s Gulf Coast. At the ready with pride and passion, the 2014 Taft High graduate’s perseverance has paid off with her hiring and subsequent promotion to community liaison with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Barely two weeks removed from extending the champion Astros to the limit in the American League Division Series, the Rays will begin their quest to take the next step with the 23-year-old Adams’ assistance as Community Engagement Coordinator following her hiring to a training position last January.
“Since starting as an intern in the ticketing sales and services department, Taylor has frequently gone above and beyond to create memorable experiences for our fans and been an exceptional employee and asset to the organization,” Jimmy Reed, Rays ticket sales manager, said. “Taylor’s initiative, positive attitude and willingness to learn made her a natural fit when the full-time opportunity became available.”
Before finding work alongside general manager and Sporting News Executive of the Year Erik Neander, Manager of the Year Kevin Cash and the rest of the Rays’ touted front-office staff, Adams’ pursuit of any job in any profession had been more of a sacrifice bunt than a fence-clearing blast.
“I got to work with the Tampa Bay Rays through persistence and fierce passion,” she said.
The former Taft volleyball, basketball and softball star was never quite sure what she wanted to do while attending Oregon State, where she switched majors several times in search of personal and professional gratification.
“I felt lost in class a lot of the time,” she said.
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However, in the summer of 2017, her dad, assistant general manager of the Gresham GreyWolves, saw a tweet from the Corvallis Knights, a rival collegiate baseball team, regarding a summer internship.
“On the last day they were accepting applications, I took a chance and applied,” she said.
Adams was hired and started out as a stadium operations intern before advancing to the food and beverage department while holding down two other jobs. The following summer, she was asked to fill a gap for food and beverage manager while coaching softball at Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis.
“Taylor quickly moved into a leadership role during that season,” Knights President and General Manager Bre Miller said. “In 2018, she came back in a director role, and, due to an unexpected departure of another employee, really stepped up into a management role and helped run the food and beverage program in 2018, an enormous role that requires someone who is very organized, has to manage about 40 part-time staffers, ordering and inventory, and has to bring a good energy every day when some days you are exhausted due to the hectic summer schedule.”
2014 Taft grad Taylor Adams
“She accepted the job, not knowing much about it, but believing in herself and her abilities,” her father, Noel, said. “There were a lot of conversations that season about what she could do and couldn’t do, ideas to implement, advice for various issues that came up, but she nailed it.”
Following the 2018 season, Adams faced a difficult decision trying to figure out her next step.
“I could stay in Corvallis and continue with the Knights and coaching around the area, but if I wanted to move into professional sports, I would have to leave Oregon,” she said. “Leaving Oregon was never something I thought of doing growing up — not once did it cross my mind. That being said, I knew I was going to have to try something new if I had any chance of making it.”
Adams didn’t tell anyone, but behind the scenes she applied online for jobs with big-league teams in the closest cities she could think of — the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland A’s.
“In the midst of that, one of my aunt’s friends and I reconnected,” she said. “She had just moved to Florida a few months before. We got along really well, and she continued asking me to come visit her whenever I could. Later that night, on a whim, I applied for multiple internships with the Tampa Bay Rays.”
Late November hit, and Adams wasn’t getting any responses, but she finally got the nerve to tell her family she had been applying for jobs out of state.
“I was confident that I wanted to see it through,” she said. “My main teams were the Angels, because my college best friend lives near their stadium, or the Rays, because of my family friend living there. I decided to turn to direct messages on a networking site since online applications weren’t getting me anywhere, so I proceeded to message everyone I could find with the Angels or the Rays. I wasn’t sure who any of the people I messaged actually were, but I just needed to spark a conversation and make a connection.”
Enter Reed, the Rays’ ticket sales manager.
“Out of the hundreds of messages I sent to people, he was the only one who responded to me,” Adams said. “He asked me for my resume, we hopped on a phone interview, and I was offered a job as a ticket sales and services intern in the span of two to three weeks. I immediately called my dad and cried happy tears.”
Calling the following time period, “the toughest month I’ve gone through in my life,” Adams had to quit the four jobs she held at the time, tried to sell and give away anything that wouldn’t fit in her car, find someone to sublet her room, and say goodbye to her lifelong friends, family and home state, “all while planning a huge road trip with my dad in order to make it to Florida in time for my first day of work.”
Adams, who has seven siblings, is the daughter of Noel Adams, an entrepreneur, and Kimberly Voss, a stay-at-home mom.
Her brother, Brendon, is a 20-year-old Taft High grad and former athlete attending Western Oregon University. Brothers Kyle, 16, and Dylan Voss, 13, attend Taft High 7-12 and Taft Elementary School, respectively. Hannah Adams, 16, attends Sandy (Ore.) High School. Taber, 21, and Abby Sofianos, 19, live in Arizona, and Ayden Sofianos, 23, lives in Sandy. Taber, Abby, and Ayden are step-siblings.
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With her father in tow, Adams arrived in St. Petersburg, Fla., after four days of driving on Jan. 6, the day before her first day of work.
“It was heartbreaking to drop him off at the airport that evening,” she said, “but we both knew that this was what I had to do for my dream and no one supports that like he does. He is proof in my eyes that no matter what you’ve been through or how old you are, it is never too late to find your passion and chase it down.
“From the time I was young and he was my coach, to when I was in college coaching my own team and we were both working for rival summer leagues, and now when I’m 3,000 miles across the country as a part of a professional MLB team, our bond has only become stronger through sports and that has been a highlight through every step of my sports career.”
Adams spent six months as an intern before the community engagement position became available.
“I was nervous to apply because I wasn’t sure if I was qualified or ready for a coordinator position,” she said.
Barely beating the application deadline, she was offered and accepted the job three weeks later in mid-summer.
“I can’t express my gratitude for the incredible relationships I’ve made with friends, colleagues and clients,” she said. “I never could have imagined that a small-town girl who had only ever known Oregon as her home would have picked up and moved across the country. But there’s some opportunities you just can’t pass up, and this was one of them.”
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Adams grew up in Welches, Ore., and moved to Lincoln City as a high school sophomore with her brother, Brendon, to live with her mother and younger brothers.
“My siblings are a major influence in my life,” she said. “Everything I do in my life and in my career is to show them that they can do anything and everything that they want to. I want to inspire them to chase down the enormous dreams that they have, grab them, and make them their own. They are my biggest motivation.”
Rays Ticket Manager Jimmy Reed shares the story of when Adams learned that a local family was bringing their 7-year-old son to his first home game and took the initiative to upgrade their tickets to the DEX Imaging Home Plate Club — “all the junk food he could eat,” he says — provided them with Rays caps, and arranged a meeting with the team mascot, Raymond.
Best friend Michaela van Houte, who has experienced virtually every major life moment with Adams since meeting her at age 4, says her best friend’s love for sports began before she could even sign up to compete.
“It’s in her blood,” she said. “Since I can remember, she’s participated in everything from softball to dance, and she’s excelled in all areas. Every coach has complimented her on her talents, and if ever there was something to work on, Taylor took that critique and came back to practice having already improved.
“She’s fearless on the field, court, anywhere really. It’s just her character — fearless and friendly at the same time. When she went to college, she took up rowing — something we didn’t even know was a thing — and she did great. She learned a lot from it.”
“If I had to describe her in one word, it would be perseverance,” father Noel said. “She’s faced more obstacles in her 23-plus years than a lot of people ever have to deal with, but each time she finds a way to come out of it stronger, more determined and even, somehow, more compassionate instead of hardened.
“It never mattered what sport she was playing at the time, there was one thing that was always consistent. She was never outworked. In all of my years as a coach, I’ve never known anyone to put more effort in to their sport. I’ve watched her sacrifice her body by running in to walls, bleachers, hitting her face on the floor, colliding with teammates and opponents, than I can count. She still has the scars to prove it in a few cases.”
Taylor is simply one of the kindest human beings that I have come to know. If she weren’t my daughter, I’d still be saying the same thing. Her heart is so loving and her ability to see the value in every person is honestly amazing to me. She has volunteered many hours in her life to helping people who just simply needed help. Trips to Guatemala to work with the locals, Boys and Girls clubs, just free time she has and comes across a person in need. And it’s the same story when it comes to animals. Talk about a soft heart for animals. It’s part of her loving nature.
I have no doubt at all that Taylor is going to continue to grow in both her life and her career to become whatever she wants to be. Her drive and passion for success is rivaled only for her love and passion for her friends and family. It may sound silly, but it’s the honest-to-God truth; if I could go back in time to the day she was born and make a list of exactly the type of person I hope my daughter grows up to be, Taylor would have checked off all of the boxes. I couldn’t be more proud of her and the person she is. She makes the world a better place every day and I can’t wait to see what she does next.”
— Father Noel Adams
“Taylor has continued to excel in professional baseball because of her drive and determination,” Knights President/GM Miller said. “She didn’t have the easiest childhood and chose to be a role model and leader for her younger siblings. She could have easily chosen not to be someone who sets a good example, but that isn’t who Taylor is. Taylor is a true professional. She has a natural nurturing attitude that I think effortlessly draws people closer to her. You want to be around her and get to know her better.
“This was easily seen in not only the staff she managed, but the fans she interacted with. Taylor has a great sense of humor and makes work fun. She is competitive and wants to give her all whether the project or task is small or large. Taylor can do anything she wants to, and is proving so as she climbs the ladder of professional sports.”
When Taylor told me she applied for a job with the Rays all the way across the country, I think part of me knew it was a done deal. Three-thousand miles away, and they still chose her because she’s perfect for this job. Not many people get to go to work and feel like they’re where they’re meant to be, but Taylor does, especially working with the community. She’s got the exact mindset needed for that job. She thinks outside the box and makes magic out of the mundane.
“Anyone who knows her is drawn in by her own excitement. She’s a natural leader, even if she doesn’t always think so. It’s evident by those who come to her for guidance. Taylor is an inspiration to everyone around her. I’m so proud of the woman she’s become and what she’s doing in her little corner of the world.”
Seniors Matias Vesma and Lucas Hindman placed fifth and sixth, respectively, Thursday at Cheadle Lake Park in Lebanon to lead the Taft High boys cross country team into next week’s State finals as Class 3A Special District 2 champions.
